Train-signal lamp



Oct. 22, 1929.

F. D. sP 'AR TRAIN SIGNAL LAMP 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 7, 1927 R/GHT HAND CLASS/F/C'HT/O/Y LEFT HAND MAR/(ER.

Oct. 22, 1929. F. D. SPEAR TRAIN SIGNAL LAMP Filed Ja n. 7, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet I'NVENTOR Furman D. Spear,

Oct. 22, 1929. -S Q.

TRAIN SIGNAL LAMP 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 7, 1927 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFKIE FURMAN I). SPEAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 ARMSPEAR MANUFACTURING COMTEANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., i Z

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK Application filed January 7, 1927. Serial N'o. 159,588.

The main object of my invention is to provide a lamp which can be used as a marker lamp or a classification lamp as oocasion may require.

Under the present regulations it is necessary to carry at least three pairs of lamps on a locomotive for the necessary front and rear signals. My invention makes it possible to display all the necessary signals with only two pairs of lamps. The customary colors are white, or clear, yellow, green and red. I have found a very simple method of providing for the various required signals in a single lamp.

It will be n11derstood,o-f course, that a locomotive will carry two lamps, one on each side on the iront .endand must have one'lamp 01 each side of the rear end of the tender. The necessary combinations can be readily afiected by providing each lamp with two white-0r clear glasses, one red glass andone-yellow glass. In the interior of the lamp I arrange .a swinging frame provided with two green glasses adapted to be inserted between the light and the white glasses, or retracted when necessar l l The lamp as .a whole is made rotatable with respect to .a vertical axis and'a stationary blinder with two sections or shields, are provided, one at the rear'and one at the inner side. The terms front and rear are, of course, used with respect to the direction of movement of the locomotive or train. Furthermore, the term train of course is broadly used to include a locomotive and its tender.

It will also be understood that the term glass .is used to include any transparent material whether plain or in the form of a lens.

The invention is equally applicable to lamps provided with electric filaments or oil burners.

Fig. 1 is aside view of one form of :lamp embodying means of .my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan 'view'and partial section of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of another form of lampembodying my invention with modified details of con-H struction.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4* is a fragmentary detail plan view showing a notched support for the lamp body of Figs. 3 and 4. a i

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are diagrammatic sec-- tional plan views each show-mg a pair of:

lamps having different arrangements of blinders.

Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are moreor less diagrammatic views in horizontal, section.

showing the various combinations possible with a rotatable lamp having white and green lenses and movable inner glasses of dilierent colors. w

The invention in general constitutes an vided with a switch operating handle 11.

The bracket 12 is adapted to: be either ;p.er-, manently or detachably connected to a suit able part of the locomotive, and may, (for the purpose of understanding the invention, be considered as attached to the right hand front end of the locomotive boiler head as viewed from the locomotive cab. This bracket has a ring 13 which provides .a collar within which the body or casing of the lamp is rotatable. A catch member 14 serves to hold the lamp in its desired position. v

The glasses 15, 16, Hand 18 may be of any suitable character. According to resent train rules, the glasses 15 and 16 will be white (clear), 17 will be red and 18 yellow.

The screen or blinder sections 19 and 20 are provided at the rearand on the inner side to prevent the light being seen from the rear and from the inner side. These blindersmay be fastened to any suitable stationary 'sup-' port, as for instance, to the bracket 12. They may be integrally connected or independently supported, or they may be connected by tie 21.

Inside of the lantern I have provided a pair of glasses 22 and 23 which are preferably green and adapted to be interposed between the light and the clear, or white glasses 15 and 16. When in the position shown in Fig. 2 it will beunderstood, of course, that the light at the front and at the rightwill appear green since it is unmodified by the white glasses 15 and 16. These glasses 22 and 23 may be conveniently mounted in a frame 24 carried by a shaft 25, as set forth in my earlier Patent 816,509 so that the two glasses may be simultaneously swung or thrown over from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the other side of the axis of the shaft 25 so as to leave the glasses 15 and 16 clear when desired. By rotating the lamp so that the glass 17 is in front and the glass 18 at the right, the signal would indicate, according to the present code, that the engine is running backward without cars or that it is at the rear of the train pushing cars. By rotating the lamp so that the glass 18 is in front, the signal will indicate that it is at the rear of the train on a siding to be passed by another train. The particular meaning, of course, would depend upon the code employed.

It will thus be seen that this lamp may be readily converted from a marker to a classification lamp without the use of any tools or the substitution of any glasses except, such as are provided in the lamp. The lamp may be rotated by hand to the desired position and the glasses 22 and 23 may be interposed or retracted by hand in the simplest manner.

In the form shown in Fig. 3 the casing 30 is provided with a collar 31 rotatably sup ported on the well 32. United to the well 32 is an inner flange 33 with recesses 34 adapted to be engaged by the tip of a latch 35 so as to hold the body in the desired position with respect to rotative movement. The lamp bulb 36 is shown supported in the socket 37 carried by the receptacle 38 attached to a carrier 38. The latter is supported on a stationary flange 39.. A switch 40 with knob 40 may be provided. Theglasses 41, 42, 43 and 44 may be of any suitable character sup ported in the casing in any suitable manner.

In this particular construction I have shown the blinder or blinder sections 45 and 46 mounted entirely within the lamp and supported by the stationary flange 39. The movable glasses 47 and 48 are carried by the frame 49 which is provided with the operating shaft 50 so that the glasses 47 and 48 may be swung from one position to the other as required. The blinder and the rotating frame are, of course, so constructed, proportioned and arranged that neither will interfere with the other in its operation.

The lamp may be supported by means of a base 51 which is securely united to the well 32 or by means of an arm 51 secured in fixed manner to the well 32.

It will be understood that the body or casing of the lamp is rotatable about a vertical axis and that the blinder or blinders are stationary. The interior color changing frame is movable so as to make it possible to display the desired additional signals.

The lamp body is preferably removable, for instance, the flange 32 may have two or more notches 32? and the body flange 31 having corresponding lugs 31* adapted to register with the notches at some point of the rotation other than the normay signal display positions In Fig. 5 I have shown diagrammatlcally a pair oflamps, such as are shown 1n Flgs. 1 and 2 with the exterior blinders and the interior movable glasses.

In Fig. 6 I have shown diagrammatically two lamps with the blinder on the nside corresponding to the forms shown in Figs, 3 and 4. The construction of Fig. 31n which the blinders are located inside the casing is specifically claimed in my applicat on 201,395, filed June25, 1927;

In the form shown in Fig. 7 I have shown blinders, such as 52 and 53'movably mounted in guides 54 and 55. The lamp is provided with additional grooves such as .56 and 57 so that the blinders may be inserted into such positions as may be desired.

Figs. 8 combination of colored lenses or glasses. In this case the lamp body has two white glasses 60 and 61 and two green glasses 62 and 63. The lamp is rotatably supported in any desirable manner and provided with a stationary blinder 64 preferably inside the casing or body. The other standard code color glasses 65 and 66 red and yellow are provided in the inner tilting or otherwise movable frame 67. This form of construction is especially desirable when for any reason other colors need at any time to be substituted for the red or yellow glasses.

The operation of rotating the lamp and changing the. colors will be readily understood from the foregoing.

It should be understood that other color combinations may be substituted and other mechanical constructions made without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combination marker and classification lamp comprising a rotatable casing having four glasses arranged with their centers apnot only rotatable butto 11 show a lamp having another proximately ninety degrees apart around a between the light and the two clear glasses.

2. A lamp comprising a support, a casing rotatable with respect to the support, said casing having four lenses with at least three colors, a pivoted frame having two glasses of a diflerent color adapted to be lined up with two of the lenses, and stationary blinders for two of the adjacent lenses.

3. A combination marker and classification lamp comprising a rotatable casing having four glasses arranged with their centers ninety degrees apart around a vertical axis, a source of light within said casing, said casing being rotatably mounted, stationary blinders arranged outside the casing to obscure the light from two of the adjacent glasses and movable colored glasses adapted to be interposed between the light and the clear glasses.

4c. A signal lamp, comprising a support, a casing rotatably carried thereby, a source of light within the casing, said casing having a number of glasses arranged around said source of light, a blinder carried by said support for obstructing the light from two sides of the lantern at right angles to each other and two movable colored glasses mounted within the casing and adapted when desired to be inserted between the source of light and the two unobstructed sides of the lamp.

FURMAN D. SPEAR. 

